


Inception

by Doranwen



Category: Smallville
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-06-13 13:56:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15366135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doranwen/pseuds/Doranwen
Summary: Chloe's attempt to break up with Clark doesn't go exactly as she had thought it would.





	Inception

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FearNoEvil](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FearNoEvil/gifts).



"I think that it might be better if we just stayed really good friends. Anything other than that just gets too complicated," Chloe said. She held her breath as Clark got a funny look on his face.

"Actually… I'm not sure I want to make decisions that big right now. Maybe you had time to think, but I haven't," Clark pointed out.

"Uh, OK, sure, we can talk about this another day, I guess. I mean, once your dad's back home safe and all."

Clark looked down for a moment.

"We'll find him, Clark," Chloe said, resting a hand on his arm for a few seconds.

"Thanks, Chloe." Clark glanced off to his right. "I'm going to check over here," he said with a gesture.

"Okay. I'll catch up in a sec. My feet are throbbing," Chloe told him. It was stretching the truth enough to count as a lie, but she'd long ago learned that Clark Kent was one of that rare breed who lied frequently but couldn't seem to tell when his closest friends were telling one to his face. Particularly a close **girl** friend. Who just tried to pull the friends card on him, but it didn't go the way she had planned - and what was with that? Clark was a strange one - and that wasn't a new revelation either.

She leaned against a nearby tree and sighed. _Chloe Anne Sullivan,_ she addressed herself, _you just tried to break up with your boyfriend, even though you don't really want to, and when it turned out he doesn't want you to break up with him, you're upset. You're an idiot._ She took a deep breath, trying to keep her eyes dry.

"Hey," called Pete, rounding the corner to where Chloe was facing.

"Hey," she called back, hurriedly pulling her face into a smile. It was pointless, though; Pete was a little too perceptive sometimes.

"What's with the fake smile?" he asked.

Why did she even try to fool him? "Nothing."

Pete cocked his head a tiny bit. "Nothing, huh? That explains a lot." He gave her a pointed look.

She took another deep breath. "I pulled the friends card on Clark, and he wouldn't take it."

Pete stared at her. "And you're upset over that? OK, you're right, it **is** nothing. I mean, isn't this what you wanted?"

"Yes," she said shakily.

Pete shook his head. "You are seriously messed up, you know that?" He slung an arm across her shoulder for a bit. "C'mon, let's keep searching for Mr. Kent. Maybe you'll find your sanity while you're at it."

"Hey!" she protested, pulling away and swatting playfully at his shoulder.

Pete only grinned. "This way," he motioned, and Chloe followed.

* * *

Chloe sat in the Torch office, staring at her computer screen. The photo on it showed Clark with his arms around her, and smiles on both faces. She hadn't had a chance to talk to Clark since the search for Mr. Kent, though Pete had let her know that he was home safe. She could go over to the Kents' and talk to Clark, but… he could want to break up with her after all. Or he could want them to stay a couple. She couldn't decide which she was terrified of more. _You're pathetic,_ she told herself.

"Hey, Chloe."

Chloe swiveled around, minimizing the photo in a hurry. "Oh, hey, Lana," she said. "What brings you here?"

"Actually, I kind of wanted to talk to you." Lana's face had a strange expression on it, and Chloe couldn't read her tone of voice.

"What's going on?" Chloe asked.

"You haven't talked to Clark recently, have you?"

Chloe shook her head. "Not since before his dad was found, why?"

Lana hesitated for a moment. "Does he lie a lot to you?"

Chloe's eyes narrowed. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I'm pretty sure he lied to my face about what happened in the tornado."

Chloe stared at Lana suspiciously. "I thought you didn't remember."

"That's what I've been telling everyone. Because what I do remember… I'd say it was impossible, except I saw it myself."

"What are you talking about?" Chloe's 'weirdar', as Pete called it, was going off at this point. But this was **Clark** they were talking about. The guy she was dating - at least for now.

Lana bit her lip. "I don't know enough to be sure about anything. Just— I think Clark's hiding something really big, something he's been lying to us all about."

Chloe had her own suspicions about his strength and speed, but he'd always seemed perfectly harmless up to this point (unlike most of the other meteor mutants), so she was willing to suspend judgment. "Maybe he has a good reason for not telling us?"

"Maybe."

"The guy saved your life, Lana," Chloe said, a little note of incredulity slipping into her voice. Freak or not, people's actions counted for something!

"I know. Just be careful, all right?"

"OK, I will…" Chloe trailed off. She stared at Lana as the other girl left. What on earth was that all about? The scales suddenly tipped towards seeing Clark; maybe a drive out to his farm was in order for this evening…

* * *

Chloe pulled into the driveway of the Kent farm and took a deep breath before exiting her car. "Hey, Mrs. Kent," she called to the older woman, who was watering the flowers in the pots out front of the house.

"Oh, hi, Chloe. Clark's in his loft," she called.

"Thanks," Chloe told her with a smile. As she neared the barn, she attempted to slow down her breathing to a more normal level. She stood outside for a moment until she felt like she had control of her body again, then stepped inside and headed up the stairs to the loft.

Clark was standing at the window looking out over the fields. For someone who'd just had his family restored to normal when it could have gone so wrong, Chloe thought he looked far more morose than was warranted.

"Hey," she called softly, walking over slowly to stand at his side.

"Hey Chloe." He continued looking out for another few seconds before finally turning to look at her.

"You OK?" she asked.

"I'm fine," he said softly.

Chloe suspected that was a lie, but she told the same sort all the time; it would be hypocritical of her to call him out on it. She opened her mouth to address what Lana had said, but what came out was, "I actually don't want to stop dating."

Clark looked puzzled. "Then why did you say that back in the woods?"

"Defense mechanism," she said. Tears threatened, coloring her voice. "I'm afraid that we'll end up breaking up and I'll lose your friendship." She tried not to sniff and failed.

"Chloe," Clark said, reaching out for her.

She found her face buried in soft flannel. It smelled like hay and Clark, and Chloe took a deep breath, but it was suddenly impossible to hold back the tears, with Clark's solid arms around her. "I can't lose you," she choked out.

"We've barely started dating, and you're already worried about us breaking up?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

She sniffed and pulled back to wipe at her face. "Silly, isn't it?"

Clark didn't say anything for a few seconds. "No. Being afraid of losing a friendship is a natural fear. I think everyone has that at some point." He looked directly at her for a long moment.

Chloe suddenly felt like she could see into his soul, as the pain in his eyes sunk into her heart. "You won't lose me, Clark," she said quietly. "It doesn't matter what secret you're hiding. I trust you to tell me when you're ready. Until then, I'm here."

Clark got his deer-in-the-headlights look again, the one Chloe had learned heralded yet another lie - but then his face changed, and he held out his arms. "Come here," he said.

Chloe stepped into them. "What are you doing?" she asked as he began to sway gently.

"We never got to finish our dance," Clark said.

"There's no music," Chloe pointed out, but she kept trying to follow his steps.

"You have a good imagination," Clark said with a little smile.

She smiled up at him, her body at last sinking into the rhythm of his movements. "Is this how it would've gone if the tornado hadn't come along?"

"No," Clark said, bending his head down. "This is," he whispered moments before his lips pressed against hers.

Chloe decided that breathing was overrated, and tightened her arms around her boyfriend.


End file.
